Visitors to a volcano in south-west Iceland have described being "mesmerised" by "dancing flames" as it began erupting on Wednesday.
The eruption came just eight months after the Fagradalsfjall volcano's last blast officially ended.
Despite warnings from the Icelandic Meteorological Office urging people not to go near the site, many still gathered to watch the dramatic natural spectacle unfold.
"It's just crazy," Icelandic photographer Gunnar Freyr said after coming to watch the eruption.
"I thought the eruption was going to happen maybe like in a few weeks, and now it's here and it is so beautiful."
Fagradalsfjall is located about 32 kilometres south-west of Iceland's capital Reykjavik.
Valur Grettisson, the editor in chief at The Reykjavik Grapevine magazine, said the eruption was "absolutely incredible to see".
"We were here, actually, last year when the eruption happened, just like within 24 hours later," he said.
"But this eruption is at least five to 10 times bigger.
"And I have to say, this is like … a dancing fire.
"It's so different from the other eruption that I'm just mesmerised by this. It's beautiful."
Scientists anticipated an eruption, with a series of earthquakes in the past week indicating volcanic activity close to the Earth's surface.
A 2021 eruption in the same area saw lava flows continue for several months.
Iceland, located above a volcanic hotspot in the North Atlantic, averages an eruption every four to five years.
University of Iceland student Noemi Löw took a sample of lava from the volcano.
"Later we're going to analyse that in a lab to understand the composition of the lava because it can tell us something about the gas composition and the different components that are assembled by this lava," she said.
The eruption in an uninhabited valley is not far from Keflavik Airport, Iceland's international air traffic hub.
The airport remained open and no flights were disrupted.
ABC/AP
